Two years ago Wade also had a pop at the Dunblane star, branding him a drama queen at the French Open for needing treatment for back spasms in a match with Jarkko Nieminen.

Asked if he was surprised by the negative comments on the eve of his historic first-round clash with David Goffin on Centre Court Murray said: “No. She’s done it a few times before with me. It doesn’t surprise me.”

Virginia Wade has had another pop at Andy Murray

Wade’s questioning of the mental toughness of Mauresmo, Wimbledon champion in 2006, forced Murray into a passionate defence of her credentials.

He said: “She won a lot. She was No.1 in the world. She won multiple Grand Slams. She got to latter stages of slams often.

“She was someone who struggled with nerves and conquered them later in her career, which when you coach someone, you can help more than someone that hasn’t had those issues before.

“She understands the psychological part of the game maybe more than some because of that.

“And in terms of her game style, she had quite a creative style, good variety in her game.

“And in terms of what she’s like, she’s a very nice person. She’s easy to speak to. She listens well. She’s firm, as well.”

The pressure to be heaped on the Scot over the next fortnight was clear in yesterday’s press conference.

Asked how he felt to have the hopes of a despondent nation on his shoulders after England not doing well at the World Cup, his response was “Wow!” Followed by another “Wow!”